Method and apparatus for tempering glass



Oct 5, 1954 J. R. A. PRACHAY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TEMPERING GLASS Filed Feb. 10. 194'? 2 Sheets-Sheet l m mm w lNvENToR AT1-ORNE s Och 5, 1954 J. R. A. PRAcHAY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TEMPERING GLASS Filed Feb. 10, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 oooooo oooooooo ooooooo'o oooooooo oooooooo oooooooo INVENTOR JEAN PRACHAY ATToRNEYs Patented ct. 5, 1954 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TEMPERING GLASS Jean R. A. Prachay, Paris, France, assigner to The American Securit Company, Wilmington,

Del., a corporation of Delaware Application February 10, 1947, Serial No. 727,709 In France June 15, 1945 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires June 15, 1965 9 Claims.

l In spite of the great amount of investigation that has taken place in the last fifteen years the problem of satisfactorily tempering by air blasts sheets of glass having a thickness of -g of an 2 2" and arranged less than 1.2 center to center, and fed with air at about the pressure of 7 .1 lbs. per square inch. With this arrangement the nozzles occupy less than 4% of the space beinch or less has not been satisfactorily solved. 5 tween the sheet and the box, thus leaving ample The conventional methods of projecting the blast escape space for the heated air. The nozzles from holes of relatively large diameter and in the may be slightly truncated, as shown. walls of a blast boX close to the sheet have not As it is important that the sheet be only subproduced the desired sudden reduction of temjected to the blast when the nozzles are close perature and the use of high pressure blasts in thereto and as it is inconvenient to insert a such an arrangement has resulted in distortion sheet between the opposite groups of nozzles when of the hot and plastic sheet. at proper blowing position, I provide means for I have discovered that thin plates may be suc- 1Itnovmg Cihfe nozzleslaway from their blowing posicessfully tempered by employing air at a somelon an or supp ying blast air to the nozzles what higher pressure than the practice heretowhen, and only when, they are at the proper disfore employed and issuing it from long nozzles of tance from the sheet. For this purpose the relatively small diameter terminating relatiiI/lely nlae flom tiviich tie ihnozzllles project is mounted close to the sheet and close to each other, w i e o e s ove owar s he s eet by the act of adleaving ample area for the escape of heated air mitting air to the nozzles. from the surface of the plate between such sur- In Figures 3 and 4 this is accomplished by makface and the face of the blast box from which ing the blast box with accordion sides, the outer the nozzles project. plate 6 of the box being mounted in a frame 6a; Furthermore, as such an arrangement demands while the inner plate lla, carrying the nozzles, is that the nozzles terminate close to the plate and carried on the inner ends of rods 8 working that the initial chilling of the plate takes place through packing boxes 9b in the rear plate 4a and with the nozzles in this position, my inventief;l 1igirlivington theifr rearferlls-heliclal sprigngs between contemplates means for separating the two blas e ou er sur ace o e pac ing 0X and the boxes during the insertion of the plate between tension adjusting nuts Ia. An air supply pipe I3 them with means for insuring that the initial is connected with the rear plate 6 of the air blasts shall be delivered only when the boxes are box. restored to their operative position relative to the In Figures 5 and 6 a construction is shown in plate, wfhiih lionstfad ofniereljglrlnovlirg te irnerplate 4g Referring to the drawings in which correspond- 0 e 0X 9 an. rOm e D a e, e 0X 1S move ing parts are designated by corresponding marks as a Whole, 1t belhg mllhted 011 the IOdS 3 guided of reference, in the packing boxes l 0 as before. The rear plate Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View in section 0f lie blX lwmleted by the piston 16a With illustrating this invention. a pls on c a 6 wor ing in an air cylinder l5. A Figure 2 is a fragmental front elevation of the Sulabie DID@ l hprOVlided for supplying air inner face of a blast box shown in Figure 3. un er DI'GSSl-lle 0 e Cy inder 5 from the dis- Figure 3 is a central Vertical section of a device 40 tributing box l'l and from the same distributing embodying my invention, and Figure 4 is a rear box a plurality of pipes is provided letting air elevation thereof. into the blast box, the cross sectional area of Figure 5 is a Vertical section and Figure 6 is a the pipe I'l being such that the piston head I6 front view of a modified form of my invention. will be shifted to the limit of its movement prior veattttti? glien i?. itiSZuiftrympirat tot the sheet to be tempered, each box having an air and 6, it will be .seen that the admission of air supply pipe 3 leading thereto and having proiectto the blast box` is accompanied by a simurtaneous ing from its inner wall at numerous points elonor prior motion of the nozzles towards the sheet iat? aizta lir.: fe it? tmfi; thus accomplishing the mp0 oz e w e tively close together. An arrangement which Having thus described my invention what I has been successfully employed embodies nozzles claim as new and useful and desire to secure by having an internal diameter of less than 1% of United States Letters Patent, is: an inch and terminating less than 1.2" from the 1. In a device for tempering thin glass sheets,

surface of the sheet and having a length of over the combination of a plurality of blast nozzles, a.

movable support for said nozzles, pressure means for moving said support, an air conduit and means connecting said air conduit to said pressure means andato said nozzles, whereby uponthe admissionof air under pressure to said conduit the support is moved toward the glass sheet and air ejected from said nozzles.

2. In a device for tempering glasssheeta .the combination of two movableboxes, one located on each side of -the sheet to be tempered, each box being provided with a plurality of lnozzles in communication with the interior of said boxes, supports for said movable boxes and a conduit for supplying cooling blast'air to said boxes to move them toward the sheet interposed between them and to emit said blast air 'from `said boxes through said nozzles.

3. In a device for tempering glass sheets, the combination of a nozzle plate located on each side of the Asheet to be tempered, an accordion mounting jfor each-of Asaid plates forming the sides of a blast box therefor, means Vfor supplying cooling air underpressure to the said boxes to Vshift the plates toward the sheetandmeans `for carrying back the V.nozzle plates to their .remote position when the coolingv supply is cut on.

4. In a device fortemperingthin sheets of glass, air chestslocated on each side of said sheet, said chests each .closed on .the side .adjacent to .the sheet by a movable nozzle carrying plate, means for admitting air to the interior oieach of said chests for moving the nozzle carrying plate toward the sheet .and -means Yfor retracting the nozzle plate upon .the .failure of pressure in the chest.

5. In a device for tempering thin glass sheets, the combination withamovable air box on each side o such sheet, nozzles mounted in the iront plate of said box, a pneumatic drive cylinder'for shifting the said box and means for simultaneously admitting air to the drive cylinder and to the box.

G. The hereinbefore described method of ap-A .piyingair blasts to `a thin sheet which comprises moving blast nozzles toward the sheet under Aair pressure and creating the blasts from the nozzles simultaneously therewith and by air pressure from the same source.

7. The hereinbefore method of applying an .air blast to a thin sheet which comprises projecting air under pressure through a plurality of spaced nozzles on the sheet and simultaneously utilizing the pressure of the air feeding such nozzles to move the nozzles toward the sheet.

8. In a device for tempering glass sheets, an air chamber comprising a Wall at least a portion of which isV movable and a plate, said wall and plate movable toward and away from the plane occupied by the sheet when undergoing treatment, means for supporting said plate and Wall for said movements, a plurality of nozzles provided with exit ends carried by the plate and opening into the chamber, means for moving said wall, plate and nozzles in a direction away from the plane of the sheet, a source of air vunder pressure, conduits betweensaid source and said chamber to supply air simultaneouslyto the-nozzles and-tomove-the plate lcarrying said nozzles toward the glass sheet.

9. The .method .of applying chilling blasts of air to heated Ysheets of glass to temper the same which .consists in admitting air under pressure to a plurality vof lblast nozzles movably arranged on opposite sides of the glass sheet and employing the pressure lof said air to move the nozzles toward the sheet to apply the chilling lblasts thereto.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,895,548 Lebel Jan. 31, "1933 1,970,730 Black Aug. 21, v1934 2,131,406 Mosmieri et al ;Sept. 27,1938 2,235,969 White Mar. 25, 1941 2,251,159 yOwen July 29, 1941 2,259,727 Bowers Oct. 21, 1941 2,263,679 Ferre Nov. 25, '1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 916,498 France Aug. 19, 1946 

